Cities urged to allocate funds to DART or risk losing extra finances
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is seeking cooperation from seven cities to maintain its funding amidst proposed state legislative cuts. The cities, which include Addison, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Plano, Richardson, University Park, and Highland Park, currently pay more into DART via a one-cent sales tax than they receive in services.
In March, the DART board approved a new General Mobility Program (GMP) that would return 5% of its annual sales tax revenue to these cities to fund non-DART transit projects. However, DART Board of Directors Chairman Gary Slagel recently sent a letter to the seven cities, giving them a deadline of August 31, 2025, to adopt city council resolutions requesting GMP funds and committing to ceasing support for legislation that would reduce or divert DART funding. Otherwise, DART may withhold these funds from them.
The proposed legislative cuts are significant, with earlier regular session proposals including a 25% reallocation of DART’s sales tax revenues. This move would severely impact DART's vulnerable riders, prompting strong opposition from transit advocates and local leaders. In response, mayors of affected cities, including Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer, petitioned Texas Governor Greg Abbott to revive DART funding and governance bills during the special legislative session.
The outcome of this cooperative effort ties directly to how state-level legislation targeting DART’s funding evolves during the current political session. Mayor Stopfer of Irving, who signed the initial letter to Abbott calling for legislation to reduce DART funding, expressed his disapproval of Slagel's response during a council work session. However, the Irving City Council has not taken any formal action regarding the letter from DART as of Thursday.
University Park City Council had not considered or taken any formal action regarding the letter from DART as of Thursday. The Richardson City Council approved a resolution in support of full funding for DART in February. DART is investigating all options to mitigate the effects of the GMP allocation, and KERA reached out to all seven cities listed in the letter and will update this article with additional responses.
The 5% reduction would still severely impact DART's most vulnerable riders, according to Gary Slagel. Despite this, the DART board is working to mitigate impacts on member cities, should legislative cuts occur. The future of DART's funding remains uncertain, with ongoing debates over how the agency is funded and governed.
- The DART Board of Directors Chairman Gary Slagel recently sent a letter to the seven cities, including Irving, University Park, and Richardson, setting a deadline for them to adopt city council resolutions requesting funds from the General Mobility Program and committing to ceasing support for legislation that would reduce or divert DART funding.
- In a council work session, Mayor Stopfer of Irving, one of the mayors from the seven cities, expressed his disapproval of Slagel's response, but as of Thursday, the Irving City Council has not taken any formal action regarding the letter from DART.
